Dylan's Newport Strat to be auctioned

Historic guitar goes under the hammer

The Fender Stratocaster that Bob Dylan played at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 is to be auctioned in December.

The iconic sunburst Strat, which Dylan used to controversially 'go electric' and usher in a new phase of his career, is to go under the hammer at Christie's in NYC on 6 December.

The guitar is being auctioned alongside a number of hand- and type-written lyrics that were in the case with it, including In The Darkness Of Your Room, an early version of Absolutely Sweet Marie from Blonde On Blonde.

Built in '64, the Stratocaster has been in New Jersey since it was left on a private plane and taken home by pilot Vic Quinto. The guitar was subsequently kept in his family, and is being sold by Quinto's daughter Dawn Peterson.

The Strat has been the subject of some controversy, with Dylan's management claiming that it wasn't the Newport guitar. However, after investigation and authentication by Andy Babiuk, a consultant to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, and Dylan memorabilia expert Jeff Gold, it has been verified as the real thing.

The Strat is expected to fetch somewhere in the region of $500,000, with the lyrics expected to make $3000 to $5000.

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